Mat



I. H. KRAVITT July 2, 1968 MAT Filed Oct. 22, 1965 INVENTOR IRWIN H.KRAV/TT United States Patent M T Irwin II. Kravitt, 8 S. 46th St.,Philadelphia, Pa. 19139 Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 500,611 Claims.(El. 15-217) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Description This inventionrelates generally to mats, and more specifically relates to mats forcleaning dust, dirt, mud and the like from the external surfaces ofshoes, overshoes and similar articles.

In the past, door mats for wiping shoes to remove therefrom dirt ofvarious types in order to prevent the tracking of such contaminants intoa house or hospital have taken many different forms including theconventional cocoa mat, mats having rubber fingers or latticed openings,and brush type structures with upstanding bristles. While all of thesedevices are effective in varying measure for cleaning the bottom surfaceof the shoe sole, none of thesev structures provides the ability forcleaning the sides and upper surfaces of a shoe. The mat according tothe instant invention is not so limited, and accordingly it is a primaryobject of this invention to provide a shoe wiping doormat ofconventional appearance and usable in a conventional manner for wipingthe soles of shoes to remove the dirt therefrom, but which additionallyprovides means for cleaning the sides and tops of shoes when so desired.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel shoe wipingdoormat as aforesaid wherein a portion of the mat may be turned up outof the normal horizontal plane into side surface abutting or overlyingposition with respect to a shoe so that the sides and top of the shoemay be cleaned as well when desired.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel cleaning mat inwhich the portion thereof which is turnable upward out of the horizontalplane includes grasping or handle means for ease of mat manipulation.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will appear more fullyhereinafter from a reading of the following specification in conjunctionwith an examination of the appended drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form of the novel mat according tothe invention showing the mat in solid line in a normally disposedhorizontal position, and illustrating in dotted line position themovable part of the mat turned up into a vertical plane;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view as would be seen whentaken along the line 2-2 of FIG- URE l, and also shows in phantom theoutline of a shoe disposed upon the mat with the turnable mat portionshown in dotted outline overlying the side and upper surface of theshoe;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary enlarged horizontal section taken through aportion of the mat containing the movable .handle device as would beseen when viewed along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1; and

3.3%,414 Patented July 2, I968 FIGURE 4 is a modified form of theinvention and illustrates one of many possible variations thereof.

In the several figures, like elements are denoted by like referencecharacters.

Considering first FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, there is seen a generallyrectangular mat 10 having front and rear long edges if and 12 as well asshorter side edges 13 and 14, the mat being formed of the commonly usedcocoa fibre held together in the usual manner by appropriate stitching,some of which is illustrated at the outer periphery at 15. Extendingrearward from the front edge 11 from a point closer to the side edge 13and curving to the right toward the side edge 14 is a line of severance16 extending completely through the mat from top to bottom. In theillustrated case the line of severance 16 includes a first straightportion 17 which extends in the direction from front edge toward rearedge, and an arched or curved portion 18 extending from the straightportion 17 and terminating at a point 19 further from the side edge 13than is the straight portion 17 of the severance line. Extendingrearward to the rear edge 12 from the point 19 in a straight line is ahinging line 20 which may be formed in any suitable fashion as forexample by one or more rows of stitching.

In another form, the hinging line 29 could also be formed as acontinuation of the line of severance 16 so as to sever the left endsection from the rest of the mat, this section being then rejoined tothe mat along the line 20 by means of heavy fabric tape stitched orotherwise secured to the sections to form a suitable hinge structurewith sufiicient flexibility to permit the left end section of the matdesignated as 10a to he turned about the hinging line 20 as shown in thedotted line portion of FIGURE 1. The cut edges of the mat along the lineof severance 16 are suitably secured against ravelling as for example bystitching 21.

The mat is usable as a sole wiping device in the normal manner, and maybe used to wipe the sides and portion of the tops of the shoes in themanner shown for example in FIGURE 2. As seen in FIGURE 2, the mat endsection 16:: has been turned upward about the hinging line 20, with themat separating along the line of severance 16. The end section Illa isthus so placed that the side and/or the portions of the upper part ofthe shoe may be rubbed thereagainst to wipe away dirt or mud. It will beobserved that the side edges of the sole and the lower peripheral edgeof the shoe upper is readily easily cleaned in this manner with no needfor the wearer of the shoe to indulge .in contorted foot positions in anattempt to clean these portions of the shoe on a horizontal mat surface.

As observed in the showing of FIGURE 1, when the mat end portion lia isturned upward an arch is formed along that edge of mat portion the lineof severance 16, the height of the arch being typically approximatelythree inches in height above the horizontal upper surface of the mainportion of the mat 10 which underlies the arch. Thus, the toe and instepportions of a shoe may be placed upon the main portion of the mat Itbeneath the arch part of the turnable mat portion Ida so that the archmay be utilized as a scraper for the up er surfaces of the shoe. If thearch portion is too high above the shoe upper surface, the turnable part10a of the mat 10 may be turned downward to lower the arch surfacetoward the horizontal mat surface until it engages the upper surface ofthe shoe, whereupon withdrawal of the shoe will effect a Wiping action.

As an aid in using the novel mat according to the invention, a handlemay be incorporated so that the person using the mat need not remain ina deeply bent position, a novel handle structure being illustrated inFIGURES 1, 2 and 3 for this purpose. As best seen from FIGURE 3, the matis provided with an elongated pocket 22 extending 10a which is definedby inward from the side edge 13 longitudinally through the mat portion aand across the hinging line 29 to the main portion of the mat 10.Disposed within and extending the full length of the pocket 22 is a pullout handle 23 having an external end grip 24, an elongated main shaft orshank 25 and a retainer end 2.6 Wider than the shank or main shaft 25and substantially the full width of the pocket 22.

As best seen from FIGURE 3, the peripheral stitching reduces the widthof the pocket 22 at the mouth of the pocket so that the retainer end 26cannot pass out of the pocket and is held within the mat when the handle23 is fully extended. As also best seen in FIGURE 3, the hinging line iscrossed by the pocket 22 so that the hinging securement is interruptedwhere the pocket passes therethrough to prevent interference with motionof the handle 23 into the pocket when it moves across the hinging line.By extending the pocket 22 across the hinging line 29, the handle 23 maybe disposed within the pocket in the manner shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 toprevent any tendency of the mat portion 10a to be inadvertently turnedover about the hinging line into an overlying position with respect tothe main portion of the mat. The inserted or stowed away handle 23 thusmechanically stabilizes the sections of the mat with respect to oneanother.

FIGURE 4 illustrates a somewhat different embodiment of the invention,which, while employing the same concept of invention, is suitable forutilization in the commonly seen rubber cleaning mats employing fingerlike projections as dirt or mud detaching elements. The embodiment ofFIGURE 4 is formed 'as .a two layer structure having a backing member 27and an overlying rubber fingered portion including a generallyrectangular area 28 firmly secured upon the backing 27 and joined alonghinging lines 29 to another portion 30 which overlies but is not securedto the backing 27 so that it may be turned upward and over about thehinging lines 29 to provide the same types of Wiping positions andabilities as previously described for the mat portion 10a of theembodiment of FIGURE 1.

While the hinging line 29 can be made continuous, in the showing ofFIGURE 4 the hinging line is interrupted 'by a tongue 31 which is partof the horizontally secured rectangular part 28 and which conforms inoutline to the arch 32 formed in the movable section 30. The tongue 31and arch 32 are usable in the same manner as previously described forthe arched portion of the movable section 10a of the mat of FIGURE 1. Inpractice, the finger portions 28 and 39 together with the tongue 31could be formed as one integral web which is subsequently die cut alongthe arch line 32, the section 28 and tongue 31 so formed being thenfixedly secured down upon the backing 27 while the movable portion 36?remains free of such securement. Also molded with the movable section 30is a tab grip 33 by means of which the fingered section 30 may bereadily manipulated.

The embodiment of FIGURE 4 when made in a suitably heavy weight may notrequire the backing 2'7, and 'simiarly while the cocoa mat structure ofFIGURE 1 is reversible top for bottom since it has no backing, it may insome cases be desirable to provide such a backmg.

Having now described by invention in connection with particularlyillustrated embodiments thereof, variations and modifications of myinvention may now occur from time to time to those persons normallyskilled in the art without departing from the essential scope or spiritthereof, and accordingly, it is intended to claim the same broadly aswell as specifically as indicated by the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1. A mat having an upper surface suitable for cleaning dirt and the likefrom shoe surfaces, said mat being normally disposable for use in ahorizontal plane and being divided into two adjacent portions connectedtogether by flexible means so as to define a hinging line about which atleast one of said mat portions may be turned upward out of plane andsubstantially vertically relative to the other, whereby, with a shoe tobe cleaned disposed over one of said mat portions adjacent to saidhinging line, the other mat portion may be turned upward about thehinging line to provide an upstanding cleaning surface against which thesides of the shoe may be moved to remove adhering dirt, and an elongatedhandle held captive to the upturnab-le mat portion and shiftable withrespect to the latter to provide a hand grippa ble handle and moreremote from the said hinging line than is the upper edge of theupturnable mat portion.

2. A mat having an upper surface suitable for cleaning dirt and the likefrom shoe surfaces, said mat being normally disposable for use in ahorizontal plane and being divided into two adjacent portions connectedtogether by flexible means so as to define a hinging line about which atleast one of said mat portions may be turned upward out of plane andsubstantially vertically relative to the other, whereby, with a shoe tobe cleaned disposed over one of said mat portions adjacent to saidhinging line, the other mat portion may be turned upward about thehinging line to provide an upstanding cleaning surface against which thesides of the shoe may be moved to remove adhering dirt, and an elongatedpocket opening through one edge of and extending through the upturnablemat portion transversely across the said mat hinging line and into themat other portion, and a manipulating device having a handle end and anelongated shaft connected thereto with the latter slidably disposedwithin said elongated pocket so that it extends across said hingingline, whereby, said manipulating device shaft restricts movement of theupturnable mat portion when the shaft is slid fully into the said pocketand permits hinging movement when said shaft is slid outward throughsaid pocket so that it does not traverse said hinging line, said handleend being disposed closely adjacent to the said one edge of theupturnable rnat portion and external thereto proximate to the saidpocket open end when said shaft is fully within said pocket and beinggraspable to slide said shaft outward through said pocket as desired toprovide an elongated manipulating device for the upturnable mat portionto effect shoe cleaning.

3. A mat having an upper surface suitable for cleaning dirt and the likefrom shoe surfaces, said mat being normally disposable for use in ahorizontal plane and being divided into two adjacent portions connectedtogether by flexible means so as to define a hinging line about which atleast one of said mat portion-s may be turned upward out of plane andsubstantially vertically relative to the other, said flexible meansconnecting said two adjacent mat portions extending less than the fullwidth of the mat and the adjacent mat portions being disconnected fromone another for the remaining interval of the mat width, the free edgeof the upturnable mat portion within at least a part of said intervalbeing spaced laterally away from the said hinging line to thereby definean arch spaced above the plane of said other mat portion when theupturnable mat portion is so turned upward whereby, with a shoe to becleaned disposed over One of said mat portions adjacent to said hingingline, the other mat portion may be turned upward about the hinging lineto provide an upstanding cleaning surface against which the sides of theshoe may be moved to remove adhering dirt, and whereby, the uppersurfaces of the toe and instep of a shoe may be projected under the archof the mat and may be wiped thereagainst.

4. A mat having an upper surface suitable for cleaning dirt and the likefrom shoe surfaces, said mat being normally disposable for use in ahorizontal plane and being divided into two adjacent portions connectedtogether by flexible means so as to define a hinging line about which atleast one of said mat portions may be turned upward out of plane andsubstantially vertically relative to the other, whereby, with a shoe tobe cleaned disposed over one of said mat portions adjacent to saidhinging line, the other mat portion may be turned upward about thehinging line to provide an upstanding cleaning surface against which thesides of the shoe may be moved to remove adhering dirt, and a matbacking which underlies both of said two adjacent rnat portions, theupturnable mat portion being free of fixed securement to said backing,and the other mat portion being secured to said backing.

5. The mat as set forth in claim 2 wherein said flexible meansconnecting said two adjacent mat portions extends less than the fullwidth of the mat and the adjacent mat portions are disconnected from oneanother for the remaining interval of the mat width, the free edge ofthe upturnable mat portion within at least a part of said interval beingspaced laterally away from the said hinging line to thereby define anarch spaced above the plane of said other mat portion when theupturnable mat portion is so turned upward, whereby the upper surfacesof the toe and instep of a shoe may be projected under the arch of themat and may be wiped thereagainst, and wherein the upturnable matportion is flexible so that it may be turned upward along the side edgeof a shoe and inward down onto the upper surface of the toe and instepof the shoe.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,034,667 8/1912 Winter 152151,275,861 8/1918 Danielson 15161 3,253,293 5/1966 George et a1. 15-2151,136,528 4/1915 Highley 15112 1,232,065 7/1917 Mausert 15-222 2,753,5817/1956 Clark 15-209.5l

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

LEON G. MACHLIN, Examiner.

